Invalid lift



0. P. SMITH INVALID LIFT Jan. 17, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 9, 1948 INVENTOR.

OESON R SMITH ATTORNEYS.

o. P. SMITH 2,494,591

INVALID LIFT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 17, 1950 Filed March 9, 1948 INVENTOR.

Oesow 7? SMITH ATTORNEYS.

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Patented Jan. 17, 1950 .1: :13".

UNITED STATES PAT 2,494,591 INVALID LIFT Orson P. Smith, Seattle, Wash.

ENT OFFICE Application March 9, 1948', serial No. 16,961

3 Claims.

This invention relates to invalid handling equipment, and it has for its principal object the provision of a portable means, or device, whereby invalids, or others who are bedridden, or immobilized by reason of injury, or while anaesthetized, may be raised and turned for any purpose, such as for the application of bandages; for an easier application of dressings or treatment; for a" change in position of rest; for bedmaking and also for moving the patient from one location to another. v

More specifically stated, the objects of the present invention reside in the provision of a portable crane comprising, in its embodiment, a plurality of looped belts suspended therefrom for support of the patient therein, and in the provision of winding drums operable for shortening or extending the belt loops to raise or lower the patient while supported therein, and in the provision of control means for shortening or extending the loops by individually drawing in, or lengthening, the runs at one side or the other, thereby to cause the patient to be rolled or turned to one side or the other, depending upon the run of the belt that is shortened or extended.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide the several supporting loops with disconnectible ends to permit of an easy applica-' tion of a belt beneath the patient. Also, to pro-' vide means for stifiening the disconnectible end portions of the belts to facilitate their being projected beneath the patient while lying in bed.

Other objects of the invention reside in the details of construction and in the combination of parts and in their mode of operation, as will hereinafter be fully described.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of a device embodied by the present invention, illustrating its position relative to the bed in its ordinary use and with a ment of various kinds have been employed for the.

handling of vinvalids, either by-the invalid him:

self, or by an attendant. However, to my knowledge, such devices as heretofore made have been permanently attached to the bed frame or to other fixturesnot independently movable. Also to my knowledge no device heretofore has been made in which control of one or more lifting belts was provided for a simultaneous extension, or retraction, of the runs ofthe opposite sides of a supporting sling or loop, nor has there been any separate control provided for either run of the loop as a means of controlling the direction of turning the patient. I The present device differs mainly in the following respects from those devices heretofore used? First, it is portable, or movable from room to room, or from bed to bed; second, it is independent of other equipment; third, it has a plurality of supporting belts under positive control for rais-i ing', lowering, or turning the patient, while supported thereby, in either direction; and fourth; the loops of the belts have provision for discon-" nection to permit their easy application beneath the patient.

" -Referring more in detail to the drawings The device, in its present preferred form of construction, comprises a base housin l of substantial length, and provided with horizontal legs -2 and 2' extending from its opposite ends. These legs 'are of equal length and are extended laterally to the same side, as seen best in Fig. 1, to

underlie the bed, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, x

tent as are the legs 2, but usually not beyond them,-

so' as .to avoid overbalance.

The base portion of the housing I and the lateral legs 2 and 2' are equipped with supporting castors 6 to provide for an easy movement of; the device from place to place. Preferably these castors are of the swivel type to permit of an easy movement of the device in any direction.

' Mounted within the housing I, and lengthwise thereof, are two shafts l0 and II revolvably supported in suitable bearings, and adapted to be.

separately driven by means of reversible electric motors 13 and [4, each of which motors is connected to its corresponding shaft through the medium of a reduction gear mechanism as indicated at (5. The electric motors are fixed or supported in any suitable manner in the housing I and are connected in circuit under control of circuit control switch mechanism indicated generally at i6, and whereby either motor may be caused to operate in either direction independently of the other, or both motors may be operated in unison .in either directiomorin unison in opposite directions.

Fixed respectively to the shafts l and H at spaced intervals, and in alignment with the threestandards 3, are paired belt winding drums ll-Il, and associated with each pair of drums is a belt Ha having its opposite ends, respectively,

fixed to the drums H-fl'. The runsof the belt extend from their drums, upwardly, and pass over guide wheels, or rollers l9 mounted in thestandards, and also over rollers I9 in the lateral arms, The loops of thebelts depend:toequal extent downwardly fromthearms, as shown in Fig; 1, and'by proper direction of rotation of the winding, drums the runs of the belts maybe extendedeither individually, or in unison, to lower theloops to-anextent that will'permit their receiv-ing the. patient.

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be observed'that when thedevice is in'position for its use, the armsw4 overlie the bed; With the-loops" of the severalbelts placed about thepatient on the bed; it is apparent that winding in'on the runs of the belts, in unison, will-causefthepatientto be'lifted directly upward-and clear. of the-bed. Then, by eitherraising, or lowering one run of the belt while the other 'is'rheld still, or by'. operating-themotors in a manner to cause an opposite relative movement of the two runs ofthe loops,- the: patient may be-turned,.and the-extent towhich heis turned is dependent upon the distance ofrelative travel of the opposite-sides of the loop 'in op posite directions.

To facilitate an easy application of any belt loop to the patient, it has sections that are adapted to be disconnected, best in Figs. 2 and 3, wherein, at one side of the loop, a section of the belt, designated by reference numerall'lc, is provided with a-fiat-headed-stud zwprojecting therefrom, which isdesigned to be projected through keyhole slot 22in.- the: other sections. Hbof theloop. This: arrangement providesthatiupon disconnection-ofthe sections,- one or theother may be projected beneath therp'atient and then again attached to close the 'loop;

To 'facilitatethe projection of :the detached. end of a section 1 7b beneath'the patient-while heis on thebed, this portion of the belt may beequipp'ed withacoating of relatively 'stifiCelluloid, or any similar-xmateriah.asat l'ld in Fig. 5, which will give sufficient stiffness andisrnoothnessz-to the piece that it-may be pushedtbeneath the patient';

It is also desirable that thebelts; along the normal loop-forming portions, be widened to: give easier support for the patient Therefore the belts are either widened at these points, as" shown in' Fig. 4, or two sections,- asseen' inFigs. land 3; maybe employed.

Itis to be understoodalso that=the belts; for the greater part of their-length, outside the-normal loop-forming portions; might-bein the form of cables rather than wide belts, and that sheaves might replace the wide rollers; tlius==tocutdown width of thestandards'and arms.

Assuming the device to- 'beso constructed, itsuse would be as follows:

This is' illustrated With the patient resting on the bed, should it be desired, for any reason, to raise or turn him, or to otherwise change his position, the present equipment is rolled to position so that the lateral 5 arms 4 overlie the bed after the fashion as illustrated in Fig. 1. The electric motors are then set in motion by proper manipulation of switch controls to pay out the belts to lower the loops to an extent that they may receive the patient. Then one of thadisconnected sections of each loop is projecting beneath the patient and again attached to its complemental part to close the loop. Then, if it is desired merely to raise the patient, both motors are set into operation at the same speed to draw in the belts and cause the patient to be lifted directly upward. If it is desired to turn the patient after. he has been raised to a certain position, a relative opposite movement of the two runsof the loops causes this turning action. If it is desired to transport the patient, he may be lifted clear ofthe bed and movedwith-the equipment to the desired :location.

It. is to beunderstood that this type of equipmentmight' comprise a single suspending belt, or it may have-two-or more. However, it has been found most practical, for ordinary hospital use', to employ the three loops,- asherein illustratedn It" has also-been founddesirabletoprovide a dividedor widened belt-at the loop-portion so as to give a-widerand-easier support for the patient, However, this feature is not essential to the operation of the device.

Itdsalso. apparent that various details in construction are possible andwithoutdeparting from the: spirit of .the invention. Therefore, I do not desire that the claims appendedhereto-should be confined strictly/to'the device as illustrated; but that they. shall'be givenaninterpretation con summatewith the' scope of: theinvention herein .-dis'closed-.- Itisbelieved that the gistof the inventionresides not in the details: of-construction, butbroadlyinthe provision of a=portable unit for the-purpose set forthr Having. thus described my invention, what-1 .4-5 claim as new therein and desireto secure by LettersBa-tent is:

1; Adevice of the'character described, comprising a-portable base, a plurality of standards erected in substantial-alignment along one side of the base; arms extended. from the upper ends :of the standards to overlie the base, belt guide rolls in said arms and standards a pair of winding shafts inisaid base-,1 belt windingv drums on said shafts, beltswith-ends fixed} respectively, to the drums 0f the two-shafts and: extended over: said guide rolls and forming loop'sr-dependingfrom the said arms to co-act -forthe supportof a person :therein and means =for:eifecting:an individuaL-con tr'ol .ofiea'ch shaft'for separately. windingin either 2. A device of the character described, compris ing a b'aseihousing'having'lateral legsi adapted for-extension: beneath". a hem standards ssuppo'rted i-by the baseto extendiabove thelevel ofthe bed and equipped at their: upper endswith-tlatera l arms to overlie the bed at asubstantial distance tnereahove a pair of I windingshaftsiin :said'base lengthwise thereof, winding dr'ums 0n said sha'fts in paired relation, a'plur'ali-ty of belts with ends 7 attached; respectively; to paired drums, belt-guide rollers in said arms, whereby said bel-t's are guided and fromwliich said "belts depend from'the arms tdfornr *loops said loopsbeing-'aligned to receive 7 and to con-jointly support a person therein a bo've the-bedi a= winding means for each sh'aftyand operable for rotating the shafts to cause said loops to be paid out or drawn in, or the parts thereof at opposite sides to move relative to each other in the same or in opposite directions.

3. A portable base, a plurality of standards erected in alignment along one side of the base with arms extended from their upper ends and overlying the base, belt guide rolls in said arms and standards, a pair of winding shafts in the base lengthwise thereof, belt winding drums on the shafts, belts with opposite ends fixed respectively to the drums of the two shafts for winding thereon and extended over said guide rolls and forming the loops depending from said arms to cooperate in the support of a prone person therein, and means for individually controlling the winding of said shafts in either direction.

ORSON P. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 440,471 Collins Nov. 11, 1890 528,475 Goulding Oct. 30, 1894 568,174 Taylor Sept. 22, 1896 841,702 Martin Jan. 22, 1907 1,318,429 Young Oct. 14, 1919 1,459,112 Mehl June 19, 1928 1,823,425 Davis Sept. 15, 1931 

